The Association for Family Living was an educational agency in Chicago concerned with improving marriage and family life. This collection covers the history and activities of the Chicago based Association for Family Living from its inception in 1926 through 1967.

Preferred Citation

Association for Family Living records, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago

Administrative History

The Association for Family Living was an educational agency in Chicago concerned with improving marriage and family life. This organization sought to provide educational opportunities for individuals and groups to develop the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for more effective family and community living.

The Association for Family Living was organized in 1925 under the name Chicago Association of Child Study. In 1926 the name was altered to The Chicago Association for Child Study and Parent Education to reflect the fuller coverage of services for families. It was incorporated under this name in 1930. The name changed again in 1938 to the Association for Family Living.

The association was administered by a Board of Directors. An Advisory Board made up of professionals from across the nation provided guidance and advice to the Board of Directors. Membership was available on an institutional, group, and individual level.

The first elected Board of Directors in 1926 included: Mrs. Samuel Lawton (chairman), Mrs. Harold B. Ickes (vice chairman), Mrs. Edw. Lowenthal (vice chairman), Mrs. Charles Schwartz (corresponding secretary), Mrs. Walter O. Wilson (recording secretary), Mrs. Adolph Schaar (treasurer), and four members-at-large: Mrs. Arthur Compton, Mrs. Kate Hirtenstein, Mrs. Emele Levy, and Mrs. L. J. Longini. Mrs. Samuel Lawton remained in the chairman position until 1938 and then continued on as honorary president until 1946. The title chairman changed to president when the final name change took place in 1938.

The headquarters, established at 220 South State Street in Chicago, were staffed by volunteers and supported by grants. Publication of the newsletter began in 1932. Counseling services began in 1932 and were expanded in 1937. The association hosted and/or participated in several annual conferences, which over the years included many notable professionals such as Margaret Mead. Jane Addams was requested to chair the association's first conference. The Association for Family Living also provided community education programs in local churches and organizations such as the YWCA, and housed a resource library at their headquarters.

This organization was listed in the annually published Social Service Directory Chicago from 1926 until 1969.

Scope and Contents

This collection covers the history and activities of the Chicago based Association for Family Living from its inception in 1926 through 1967. This collection includes minutes, financial records, correspondence, conference plans, manuscripts, speeches, newsletters, newspaper clippings, association histories, scrapbooks, and a few photographs.

Subject(s)

Collection Inventory

Series I: Administrative Records

Scope and Contents note

This series contains materials related to administrative activities such as minutes, financial reports, annual reports, correspondence, committee notes, association analysis, and a long range plan. This series is arranged chronologically.

Box

Folder

Board of Directors, lists of members, 1926-1967

1

1

Meeting Minutes, Correspondence, 1924-1928

1

2

Correspondence, 1926

1

3

Correspondence, 1926

1

4

Correspondence, 1926

1

5

Correspondence, 1926

1

6

Correspondence-includes abstract of "The Pre-school Child and the Present Day Parent" by Arnold Gesell, M.D., 1926

1

7

Correspondence, 1926

1

8

Correspondence, 1926

1

9

Correspondence, 1926

1

10

Correspondence, 1926

1

11

Correspondence, 1924-1927

1

12

Correspondence, 1926-1927

1

13

Correspondence, 1926-1927

1

14

Annual reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, 1929

1

15

Annual reports, meeting minutes, 1930-1935

1

16

Board of Directors, lists of members, 1932-1938

1

17

Annual report, by-laws, 1934

2

18

Audit reports, 1930, 1934-1935

2

19

Annual reports, 1935-1946

2

20

Meeting minutes, 1935-1936

2

21

Annual reports, 1935-1937

2

22

Annual report, 1937

2

23

Annual report, 1938

2

24

Meeting minutes, 1937-1939

2

25

Long range plan, undated

2

26

Meeting minutes, 1939-1941

3

27

Annual report, 1939

3

28

Annual report, 1940

3

29

Annual report, 1941

3

30

Annual report, 1941

3

31

Annual report, 1942

3

32

Meeting minutes, 1942-1944

3

33

Annual report, 1943

3

34

Annual report, 1944

3

35

Annual report, 1945

3

36

Meeting Minutes, staff retreat, 1944-1945

3

37

Consultation services report, 1945

3

38

Meeting minutes, 1945

3

39

Annual report, correspondence, 1946

3

40

Meeting minutes, 1946-1947

3

41

Treasurer's report, 1947

3

42

Analysis for Committee on Evaluation and Objectives, 1948

3

43

Treasurer's report, 1948

3

44

Treasurer's report, 1948

3

45

Meeting minutes, by-laws, Treasurer's report, 1948-1949

4

46

Treasurer's report, 1949

4

47

Audit report, 1949

4

48

Board of directors, meeting minutes, treasurer's report, 1949-1952

4

49

Meeting minutes-Personnel Standards Committee, 1950

4

50

Meeting minutes-psychiatric staff, 1950-1953

4

51

Correspondence-annual spring conference, 1952

4

52

Meeting minutes, annual reports, treasurer's reports, 1952-1953

4

53

Correspondence, notes-Annual fall conference, 1953

4

54

Correspondence, report-"Review of a Pilot research Project on the Member group of the Association for Family Living", 1953

Series II: Community Education and Programming

Scope and Contents note

This series includes materials related to the association's conferences and community programs such as speech manuscripts, bound volumes of conference proceedings, lectures, community course outlines, and articles for World Book, a letter to Jane Addams requesting her to be chairman of the first conference, and a photograph and introductory biography of Margaret Mead who spoke at a conference in 1950. This series is arranged chronologically.

Box

Folder

Conference correspondence, speech manuscript - "The Motivation of the Young Child", 1926

Series IV: Scrapbooks and Association Studies

Scope and Contents note

This series includes scrapbooks of newspaper references and articles from 1926-1964, scrapbooks of the association's activities from 1926-1942 and several association study projects. This series is arranged chronologically.

Box

Folder

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1926-1928

13 (oversized)

111

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1926-1928

13 (oversized)

112

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1926-1928

13 (oversized)

113

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1926-1928

13 (oversized)

114

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1929-1930

14 (oversized)

115

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1929-1937

14 (oversized)

116

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1938-1940

14 (oversized)

117

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1940-1945

14 (oversized)

118

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1945-1946

15 (oversized)

119

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1946-1951

15 (oversized)

120

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1951-1956

15 (oversized)

121

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1961-1963

15 (oversized)

122

Newspaper clippings scrapbook, 1963-1964

15 (oversized)

123

Association activities scrapbook, 1926-1928

16

124

Association activities scrapbook, 1928-1929

16

125

Association activities scrapbook, 1930

16

126

Association activities scrapbook, 1931-1934

16

127

Association activities scrapbook, 1933

16

128

Association activities scrapbook, 1934-1935

16

129

Association activities scrapbook, 1934-1936

16

130

Association activities scrapbook, 1936-1937

16

131

Association activities scrapbook, 1937

17

132

Association activities scrapbook, 1938-1939

17

133

Association activities scrapbook, 1939-1940

17

134

Association activities scrapbook, 1940

17

135

Association activities scrapbook, 1941-1942

17

136

Association activities scrapbook, 1941-1942

17

137

Study Project of The Association for family Living, 1940

18

138

The Association for Family Living: Its History, Organization, and Function, 1945